Estre Ambiental (ESTRF) Risk Analysis
Risk Overview Q4, 2018
Source: the company's latest filing for the period ended Dec 31, 2018, filed May 15, 2019
Risk Change Over Time
No filing history is available.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1The liquidity in our securities may be limited and the market price of our securities may be volatile and decline.
The liquidity in our securities may be limited, negatively affecting the trading price of our securities. Even if an active market for our securities develops and continues, the trading price of our securities could be volatile and subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control. Any of the factors listed below could have a material adverse effect on your investment in our securities and our securities may trade at prices significantly below the price you paid for them. In such circumstances, the trading price of our securities may not recover and may experience a further decline. Factors affecting the trading price of our securities may include: - actual or anticipated fluctuations in our periodic financial results or the financial results of companies perceived to be similar to ours;- our liquidity constraints and our restructuring efforts and results;- our entering into an extrajudicial or a judicially-supervised reorganization;- expectations with respect to, and the results of, the ongoing investigations of the Brazilian tax and criminal authorities related to the Company and certain former affiliates;- changes in the market's expectations about our operating results;- success of competitors;- our operating results failing to meet the expectation of securities analysts or investors in a particular period;- changes in financial estimates and recommendations by securities analysts concerning our company or our industry in general;- operating and share price performance of other companies that investors deem comparable to ours;- changes in laws and regulations affecting our business;- our ability to meet compliance requirements;- commencement of, or involvement in, litigation involving us;- changes in our capital structure, such as future issuances of securities or the incurrence of additional debt;- the volume of our ordinary shares available for public sale;- any major change in our board of directors or management;- sales of substantial amounts of our ordinary shares by our directors, executive officers or significant shareholders or the perception that such sales could occur; and - general economic and political conditions such as recessions, interest rates, fuel prices, international currency fluctuations and acts of war or terrorism. Broad market and industry factors may materially harm the market price of our securities irrespective of our operating performance. The stock market in general, and NASDAQ in particular, have experienced price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of the particular companies affected. The trading prices and valuations of these shares, and of our securities, may not be predictable. A loss of investor confidence in the market for travel-related securities or the shares of other companies which investors perceive to be similar to ours could depress our share price regardless of our business, prospects, financial conditions or results of operations. A decline in the market price of our securities also could adversely affect our ability to issue additional securities and our ability to obtain additional financing in the future.
- Debt & Financing - Risk 2As of December 31, 2018 we recorded significant negative working capital and capital deficiency, we are currently in breach of certain financial covenants and contractual obligations, and our ability to avoid a judicial reorganization is dependent on our ability to successfully complete a debt restructuring and significantly improve our liquidity position
We incurred net losses from continuing operations of R$720.9 million and R$364.2 million in the years ended December 31, 2018, and 2016, respectively, and while we recorded profits from continuing operations of R$37.9 million in 2017, such results were primarily driven by the gains recorded under deferred income and social contribution taxes as a result of our recognition of tax loss carryforwards in connection with our participation in the Brazilian Tax Regularization Program. As of December 31, 2018, we recorded negative working capital (calculated as total current assets minus total current liabilities) of R$1,289.8 million and a capital deficiency (calculated as total assets minus total liabilities) of R$1,149.2 million. As of December 31, 2017, we recorded working capital of R$293.4 million and a capital deficiency of R$455.9 million, and as of December 31, 2016, we recorded negative working capital of R$1,366.2 million and a capital deficiency of R$737.1 million. As a result of liquidity constraints, the Company was not able to comply with the financial covenants included in its Debt Instruments for the year ended on December 31, 2018 and we are currently in breach of such covenants. In addition, on March 6, 2018, Angra confirmed the exercise of its put option to sell all of its shares of the Company. While we were required to pay the exercise price of approximately R$40.3 million by September 6, 2018, as of the date of this annual report, we have not yet made any payments to Angra due to our liquidity constraints, and the rescheduled payment terms are still being negotiated. See "Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions-Share Put Option Agreement" and "-We are in default under the Angra Put Option Agreement, and if we are unable to reach an agreement with Angra to resolve the default, Angra can exercise remedies against us" below. Our management has identified several significant obligations arising during 2019 that require funding through liquidity, primarily relating to (a) the payments we are required to make for severance and other demobilization costs related to discontinued operations (for example, the contract with the municipality of São Paulo for cleaning services, which will be terminated on June 1, 2019, at which point we will no longer provide services in São Paulo) and (b) capital expenditures (e.g., new trucks and equipment) required in connection with contract renewals, such as the investment obligations arising under the contract with the municipality of Curitiba for cleaning services, which was renewed on January 3, 2019 for an additional five year period. Furthermore, as of December 31, 2018, the Company had aggregate overdue trade accounts of R$85.9 million, and there can be no assurance that such trade creditors will not demand immediate payment or use a variety of legal remedies to enforce their claims, which may further constrain our liquidity, further jeopardize our ability to continue as a going concern and increase the risk that we become subject to bankruptcy proceedings. We are engaged in efforts to generate liquidity in order to improve our liquidity position and fund our obligations, including negotiations in respect of the sale of certain assets, which sales will likely require the approval of the holders of our Debt Instruments. In addition, the Company, with the approval of our board of directors, has initiated negotiations with the holders of the Debt Instruments, as well as other relevant creditors including Angra, with the goal of restructuring its financial and such other debt. In that regard, the Company engaged an outside restructuring advisor as well as outside legal counsel to advise in connection with the debt restructuring process. The Company is currently seeking to conclude the debt restructuring process in the course of 2019. There can be no assurance that the debt restructuring process will be successful or that we will be able to generate sufficient liquidity in order to fully address our liquidity concerns. Our inability to significantly improve our liquidity position and comply with our financial covenants and other payment obligations, including overdue amounts owed to trade creditors, could have a material adverse effect on us and result in an extrajudicial reorganization or a judicially-supervised reorganization process, which may result in our shareholders losing their entire investment.
- Debt & Financing - Risk 3We are in default under the Angra Put Option Agreement, and if we are unable to reach an agreement with Angra to resolve the default, Angra can exercise remedies against us.
On March 6, 2018, our former shareholder Angra confirmed the exercise of its put option to sell all of its shares of the Company. As a result of such exercise, Angra transferred 8,871,895 shares to the Company, which are currently held in treasury, and we were required to pay the exercise price of approximately R$40.3 million by September 6, 2018. However, as of the date of this annual report, as a result of our liquidity constraints, we have not yet made any payments to Angra with respect to the share transfer, but are negotiating alternative payment terms with Angra. On September 11, 2018, we received a letter from Angra stating that we are in default under the Angra Put Option Agreement as a result of our failure to pay the put option amount when due and that additional amounts may be due to Angra because of our default, including default interest payments. We are in ongoing negotiations with Angra regarding the payment terms, which are conducted concurrently with our efforts to restructure our Debt Instruments and part of our larger debt restructuring efforts. There are no assurances that our negotiaions with Angra will be successful and Angra has reserved all of its rights, remedies, actions and powers to which it may be legally entitled. As a result, Angra may seek certain remedies afforded to them under the Angra Put Option Agreement and otherwise under Brazilian law, including the enforcement of their security interest of 4.38% of the share capital of the Company. Our default under the Angra Put Option Agreement, if not cured, could also constitute an event of default under the cross-default provisions of our other indebtedness. If a default occurs under the Debt Instruments, in particular, the holders of such debt could accelerate the indebtedness, demand immediate payment and use a variety of legal remedies to enforce their claims. If any of these defaults and the acceleration of any of our debt were to occur, it is unlikely that we would be able to continue as a going concern and we may have to declare, or be forced into bankruptcy.
Risk Highlights Q4, 2018
Risk Word Cloud
Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 66
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1AddedThe liquidity in our securities may be limited and the market price of our securities may be volatile and decline.
The liquidity in our securities may be limited, negatively affecting the trading price of our securities. Even if an active market for our securities develops and continues, the trading price of our securities could be volatile and subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control. Any of the factors listed below could have a material adverse effect on your investment in our securities and our securities may trade at prices significantly below the price you paid for them. In such circumstances, the trading price of our securities may not recover and may experience a further decline. Factors affecting the trading price of our securities may include: - actual or anticipated fluctuations in our periodic financial results or the financial results of companies perceived to be similar to ours;- our liquidity constraints and our restructuring efforts and results;- our entering into an extrajudicial or a judicially-supervised reorganization;- expectations with respect to, and the results of, the ongoing investigations of the Brazilian tax and criminal authorities related to the Company and certain former affiliates;- changes in the market's expectations about our operating results;- success of competitors;- our operating results failing to meet the expectation of securities analysts or investors in a particular period;- changes in financial estimates and recommendations by securities analysts concerning our company or our industry in general;- operating and share price performance of other companies that investors deem comparable to ours;- changes in laws and regulations affecting our business;- our ability to meet compliance requirements;- commencement of, or involvement in, litigation involving us;- changes in our capital structure, such as future issuances of securities or the incurrence of additional debt;- the volume of our ordinary shares available for public sale;- any major change in our board of directors or management;- sales of substantial amounts of our ordinary shares by our directors, executive officers or significant shareholders or the perception that such sales could occur; and - general economic and political conditions such as recessions, interest rates, fuel prices, international currency fluctuations and acts of war or terrorism. Broad market and industry factors may materially harm the market price of our securities irrespective of our operating performance. The stock market in general, and NASDAQ in particular, have experienced price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of the particular companies affected. The trading prices and valuations of these shares, and of our securities, may not be predictable. A loss of investor confidence in the market for travel-related securities or the shares of other companies which investors perceive to be similar to ours could depress our share price regardless of our business, prospects, financial conditions or results of operations. A decline in the market price of our securities also could adversely affect our ability to issue additional securities and our ability to obtain additional financing in the future.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2ChangedThe Registrant is a Cayman Islands exempted company and, because judicial precedent regarding the rights of shareholders is different under Cayman Islands law than under U.S. law, you could have less protection of your shareholder rights than you would under U.S. law.
The Registrant's corporate affairs are governed by our Memorandum and Articles, the Companies Law, as amended, and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by noncontrolling shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, which has persuasive, but not binding, authority on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are different from under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws from the United States and may provide significantly less protection to investors. In addition, some U.S. states, such as Delaware, have different bodies of corporate law than the Cayman Islands. We have been advised by our Cayman Islands legal counsel, Maples and Calder, that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any State and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any State, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, and or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands Court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere. There is recent Privy Council authority (which is binding on the Cayman Islands Court) in the context of a reorganization plan approved by the New York Bankruptcy Court which suggests that due to the universal nature of bankruptcy/insolvency proceedings, foreign money judgments obtained in foreign bankruptcy/insolvency proceedings may be enforced without applying the principles outlined above. However, a more recent English Supreme Court authority (which is highly persuasive but not binding on the Cayman Islands Court), has expressly rejected that approach in the context of a default judgment obtained in an adversary proceeding brought in the New York Bankruptcy Court by the receivers of the bankruptcy debtor against a third party, and which would not have been enforceable upon the application of the traditional common law principles summarized above and held that foreign money judgments obtained in bankruptcy/insolvency proceedings should be enforced by applying the principles set out above, and not by the simple exercise of the Courts' discretion. Those cases have now been considered by the Cayman Islands Court. The Cayman Islands Court was not asked to consider the specific question of whether a judgment of a bankruptcy court in an adversary proceeding would be enforceable in the Cayman Islands, but it did endorse the need for active assistance of overseas bankruptcy proceedings. We understand that the Cayman Islands Court's decision in that case has been appealed and it remains the case that the law regarding the enforcement of bankruptcy/insolvency related judgments is still in a state of uncertainty.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3Future issuances of any equity securities may dilute your ownership interests and decrease the trading price of our ordinary shares.
Any future issuance of equity securities could dilute the interests of our shareholders and could substantially decrease the trading price of our ordinary shares. We may issue equity or equity-linked securities in the future, including pursuant to a private investment in public equity ("PIPE") or other offering of equity securities, for a number of reasons, including to finance our operations and business strategy (including in connection with acquisitions and other transactions), to adjust our ratio of debt to equity, to satisfy our obligations upon the exercise of then-outstanding options or other equity-linked securities, if any, in connection with the terms of any possible debt restructuring efforts, in connection with any judicial reorganization or for other reasons. We are not required to obtain shareholder approval for the issuance of additional ordinary shares, and investors should note that we are not required to comply with the NASDAQ rule requiring shareholder approval for issuances of additional securities exceeding 20% of our outstanding ordinary shares. See "Item 16. Corporate Governance."
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4Future sales of ordinary shares held by significant shareholders, or market expectations as to any such future sales, may increase the volatility in the price of the ordinary shares and negatively impact the trading price of the ordinary shares.
If any significant shareholder sells large amounts of ordinary shares in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions, or if the market has expectations as to any such future sales, this could have the effect of increasing the volatility in the price of the ordinary shares and negatively impact the trading price of the ordinary shares.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5We qualify as an emerging growth company within the meaning of the Securities Act, which could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance to the performance of other public companies.
We qualify as an "emerging growth company" as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are be eligible for and intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies for as long as we continues to be an emerging growth company, including (i) the exemption from the auditor attestation requirements with respect to internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, (ii) the exemptions from say-on-pay, say-on-frequency and say-on-golden parachute voting requirements and (iii) reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of (i) the last day of the fiscal year in which the market value of our ordinary shares that are held by non-affiliates exceeds US$700 million as of June 30 of that fiscal year, (ii) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have total annual gross revenue of US$1.07 billion or more during such fiscal year (as indexed for inflation), (iii) the date on which we have issued more than US$1 billion in non-convertible debt in the prior three-year period or (iv) the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the date of the first sale of our ordinary shares in our initial public offering. In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the exemption from complying with new or revised accounting standards provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act as long as we are an emerging growth company. An emerging growth company can therefore delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. we may elect not to avail itself of this exemption from new or revised accounting standards and, therefore, we may not be subject to the same new or revised accounting standards as other public companies that are not emerging growth companies. Investors may find our ordinary shares less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions, which may result in a less active trading market for the ordinary shares and our stock price may be more volatile.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6We have a staggered board of directors, which could impede an attempt to acquire our company or remove our management.
Our Memorandum and Articles provide for a board of directors that is divided into three classes, each of which serves for a staggered term of three years. A staggered board makes it more difficult for shareholders to change a majority of the directors since only approximately one-third of the existing board of directors may be replaced at any election of directors. This arrangement may have the effect of keeping the current members of our board of directors in control for a longer period of time than shareholders may desire, and may impede any attempts to take over our company or change or remove our management.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 7An active or liquid trading market for our ordinary shares may not be maintained and the trading price for our ordinary shares may fluctuate significantly.
An active, liquid trading market for our ordinary shares may not be maintained in the long term and we cannot be certain that any trading market for our ordinary shares will be sustained or that the present price will correspond to the future price at which our ordinary shares will trade. Loss of liquidity could increase the price volatility of our ordinary shares. Any additional issuance of our ordinary shares would dilute the positions of existing investors in our ordinary shares and could adversely affect the market price of our ordinary shares. We cannot assure you that our ordinary shares will not decline below their prevailing market price. You may be unable to sell your ordinary shares at a price that is attractive to you.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 8If securities or industry analysts do not publish or cease publishing research or reports about our company, our business, or our market, or if they change their recommendations regarding our ordinary shares adversely, the price and trading volume of our ordinary shares could decline.
The trading market for our ordinary shares will be influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts may publish about our company, our business, our market, or our competitors. Securities and industry analysts do not currently, and may never, publish research on our company. If no securities or industry analysts commence coverage of our company, our share price and trading volume would likely be negatively impacted. If any of the analysts who may cover our company change their recommendation regarding our shares adversely, or provide more favorable relative recommendations about our competitors, the price of our ordinary shares would likely decline. If any analyst who may cover our company were to cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on our company, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our share price or trading volume to decline.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 9There is no guarantee that our ordinary shares will continue to qualify for listing on the NASDAQ for any period of time, and the failure to have our ordinary shares listed for any reason may negatively affect the value of our ordinary shares.
Our ordinary shares began trading on the NASDAQ on December 22, 2017. There are no guarantees that our ordinary shares will continue to qualify for listing on the NASDAQ. If our ordinary shares are ever in the future delisted, the holders could face significant consequences, including: - a limited availability for market quotations for our securities;- reduced liquidity with respect to our securities;- a determination that our securities are a "penny stock," which will require brokers trading in those securities to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for those securities;- limited amount of news and analyst coverage for our company in the United States; and - a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future.
See a full breakdown of risk according to category and subcategory. The list starts with the category with the most risk. Click on subcategories to read relevant extracts from the most recent report.
